Blowpipe apparatus



- R. B. PICKERING.

BLOWPIPE APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. I2. 191:7- RENEWED FEB. I4. i921.

1,379,360. 1 y Patented-May24,1921;

2 SHEETS-SHEETII.

A I v I Y I i \m R. B. PCKERING.

BLOWPIPE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. I2. 1917. IIEIIEWED FEB. 14.192I'.

1,379,360. Patented May 24,192.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l MYMUN@ lt. PICKING, @E ALAMEDA, CMMORNLA.

B'WPIPE PAB/NEUE.

arranco.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

.application died October 12, im?, Serial No. 196,213. Renewed February i4, 1921. Serial No. 445,011.

'l To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, RurMoNo B. PionnerNe, a citizen of the United States, -residing at Alameda, inthe county olf Alameda and State of California, have invented new and use Improvements in `Blowpipe Apparatuses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to blowpipe apparatus or apparatus for severing or cutting metals by fusion.

@ne o the main objects of the present invention is to utilize in a practical and reliable manner the kinetic energy of the gas such as oxygen or acetylene or driving the carriage by means of which thecblowpipe is ted along a predeterminedrjpath while making a cut or severing tlfe metal along a pre,- deteined line.

It has heretofore been customary to use an electric motor for driving the carriage ot the apparatus when used either kfor cutting or welding purposes. Considerable trouble and loss of time has been experienced with the use of electric motors on account of chips, sparks, dust, dirt and grit getting into the motor, odering resistance and frequently causing a short circuit. It'

is often necessary to perform cutting and welding operations at times when there is no electric energy available, resort being had to a storage battery in such case. Such battery is however heavy and cumbersome and it is often found easier' to perform the work by hand which is slow and tedious and often results in a rough cut as compared with a machine cut. In many parts of the country where oXy-acetylene welding and cutting are done, there is no electric current obtainable either to` drive the carriage or recharge a storage battery; in such a case an electric motor driven machine is useless.

I use a. portable storage tank tor the gas, holding two hundred cubic feet ot' gas.' at a pressure of two hundred and titty pounds to the square inch. In conjunction with such storage tank, I have designed a m0- tor constructed in such manner as to run at any .desired speed by using the kinetic energy of such gas under pressure. 'Ihis gas is used on its way from the storage tank to the cutting torch but it must be reduced to a pressure of from fortyato sixty pounds per square inch bymeans of a reducing' valve. The motor is connected in the gas line between the reducing valve and the cutting and welding torch. In using the gas for energy, the pressure is automatically reduced therebyassisting the reducing valve 1n its work and making the liow of gas to the torch more uniform, which is an essential feature to good work.

In starting a cut, it is necessary to adjust the heating name preparatory to starting the motor ,and betere the main jet of gas is started; therefore I have arranged a bypass in the gas line to render this practicable, the bypass being used to advantage to increase or decrease the speed of the motor by increasing or decreasing the flow through the motor. Ihis enables the speed olf' the cutting operation to be regulated. In addition to the regulating or governing means above referred to, I also employ a friction brake or governor which may be adjusted to produce the necessary predetermined speed of the motor and carriage.

\ Another important result is accomplished, as follows, it requires a certain amount of pressure to cut a certain thickness of steel at a given speed. Il that speed is retained after the pressure is reduced slightly, by the reducing valve not worlnng properly, which frequently happens, the cutting machine travels too rapidly tor the pressure of gas, resulting in a ragged edge being lett on 'the work, permitting the slag to aere to the plate instead of carrying the slag clear of the cut. It the pressure is too greatly reduced the cut will not extend all the way through the plate. 6On this account, when an electric motor is being used, the-operator must be ever on the alert. With 'the improved apparatus., any reduction in pressure will aeot the motor as well as the cutting torch and both will slow down to ther proportionately, resulting in a smoot cut and the blowing oi the slag clear of the cut. With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawin Figure 1 is a vertical longitudignal section through the improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same illustrating certain features by dotted lines.

Stb

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of es cbliquely truck or carriagevfr'ame mounted upon carryin'g wheels 2, one or more of said wheels constituting driving or traction wheels.

Mounted-upon the frame 1 of the carriage is a motor,V designated generally at A and 'comprising a casing of sectional formation, 3 designating the base section of the casingw.

which is formed with one or more supports or langes4 secured by fastenin means 5 to the'carriage. -The lower section Vof-the casing is recessed to provide a gear cham-Q ber 5 the upper part of which. is closed by a cover section 6. Superimposed upon the cover section,A 6 is a rotor casing'section 7 in which voperates a rotor 8 having blades 9v radiating therefrom and curved or dished in cross section. Superimposed upon the section? is a cap section 10 of 'hollow formaf tionproviding a overnor chamber 11.v f

The rotor 8 is ast upon a rotor shaft 12 journaled in bearin and extending vertically and centrally t roughthe rotor casing.

' Fast on the lower extremity of the shaft 12 is a gear 13 which fmeshes with and drives 25 another gear 14 fast on a, sleeve 15 jourj naled on a 'countershaft 16. :Connected with the same sleeve 15 is another gear 17 which meshes with and drives a gear 18 on a downwardly extending carriage driving shaft 19.l The reduction gear just describe provides for a relativelyslow rotation of the shaft 19 andthe latter passes through a stuiiing box Y 20 at the bottom of the casing ofpthe motor.

The shaft 19 vis connected by worm gears 2 1' and22 to oneor more of the driving or traction wheels 2 hereinabove referred to.

` Pivotally connected to a cross head 23 on the upper end of the rotor shaft 12 are centri gal friction arms or shoes 24 which are adapted to contact with the internal beveled friction face 25 of a frusto-conical governor or brake member 26v which is fast on the lower end of an adjusting or regu- .latin stem 27 having a threaded portion 28 whic extends through and eng an interna-lly threaded extension 29 o the section 10 of the lcasing A. The upper smooth portion of the stem 27 'p vthrough a stuffing box 30 and above. the latter, a suitable o rating hand gri 31 is fast on the stem 2g? l By raising an lowering the memv berl 26, the friction shoes 24 are given greater or less swinging movement thereby serving to regulate the speed of the motor and prevent the same' from acceleratin to toogreatan extent, Several sections o the casing A are secured 'median ysul 1 Ie leSBIl 0 001111) 'f2-rw gaSBllpp y` pipe which extends from a storage tank (not shown). The pipe 33 contains a flow regu'- lating and pressure reducing valve 34 'from the casing of which lead off relatively small branch pies 35 which communicate with intake passage 36 which.

y,sides of the .wings 9 of the rotor 8.k The together byfastening uplpe v en of the shaft within the lower chamber, a driven` shaft extending through the lower discharge into the rotor chamber as indicated i by dotted lines in Figsfl and 2 and direct jthe gas underpressure against the concaved action'of the gas under pressure against -the -7`0 *wings of vthevrotor tends to centralize the rotor and do'away with the necessit of em-' ployingend thrust bearings for t e rotor shaft 12, while reducing frlction-to a minimum. An exhaust pipe'37 leads off from 75 the rotor chamber at a suitable point and is of sulicient capacity to-take care of the outiiow of gas under pressure from the rotor chamber; The pipe 37 -is` connected by coupling means 38 to the blow torch a portion 80 of which is indicated at 39. vA branch pi 40 extends from' the supply pipe 33 direct y to tlfe torch 39 and 'contains a regulating and cut off valve 41 by means of which the flow ofgas and the ultlmate pressure thereof may be regulated. rom the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings f it will now be seen that by'interposing the 'motor between the compressed gas supply 90 and the torch, and by bypassing a portion of the gas around the motor, a part of the gas is used for propelling themotor and such part'may be regulated as to pressure by means of the valve 34. Another part of the as passes through the bypass 40 and the ow and pressure thereof are regulated by the valve 41. When the pressure is reducedI for the torch, it is correspondingly and proportionately reduced for the motor thus causing the motor tol propel the carriageat slower speed. This insures a goed cut free from slag and requires very ttle attention on the part of the operator as comparebd with machines `propelled b elec4 tric motors where there is no means or automatically giverning the ratio between .the Y pressure in t e torch and the speed of travel of the carriage.

' 1. In blowpipe apparatus of the class described, the combination of a carria a torch supported thereby, a supply o gas under pressure, a casing on the carriage pro-l -vided-with three chambers, a shaft jour. naled in the casing andpassing through the center chamber with its endv projecting into the upper and lower chambers, blades carried y the shaft and located'between the center chamber, governor -means'located in the upper chamber and connected with the r end of the shaft, a pinion on-the lower part of the casing and having, its upper end located in the lower chamber, gearing within said lower chamber connecting said shaft I with'the the 4inion, means for connecting said shaft wit the drive wheel of the carriage and means for directingsome of the I gas on its way to the nozzle against the blades in the center chamber.J

2. A blowpipe apparatus'of lthe class de-I said nzzle, a casing located on the carria e provided with three chambers, a rotorin t Ae center chamber, gearig in the lower chamber connected with the rotor, .means for connecting said gearing with the drive wheel of vthe carriage, governor means in the upynozzles being arranged to cause the I per'chamber and connected with the rotor,v4

a plurality of .nozzlesin said casing for d1- recting the gases againsty the rotor, said ses to drive the `rotor in one direction, a p urality of pipes connecting said nozzles `with the gas supply and a pipe connected with the governor chamber and the nozzle forlead. mv the gases from the rotor to' said nozzle.

'testimon whereofI axm si ature.`

i'MoNnnPIc G. 

